Four Health Food Franchises Ripe For Expansion

Your salad days may just be beginning.

Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic closed dining rooms and forced Americans to rely heavily on fast food and pizza. But after nearly a year in lockdown, the U.S. needs a salad. 

With the increasing demand for healthy eating on the go, 1851 reviewed five healthy food franchises that will have you seeing green. 

Robeks

• Total investment: $243,450-$340,000
• Units: 85+

Few food franchises focus more on health and wellbeing than Robeks, the California-based smoothie, juice and bowl restaurant that’s been selling wheatgrass shots since 1996. The brand even has its own line of proprietary additives to give its smoothies and juices a boost of vitamins, protein, fiber or virtually anything else the healthy body needs. With a small retail footprint and a grab-and-go offering, Robeks is a sound investment for the health-conscious COVID era. 

California Tortilla*

• Total investment: $402,000-$697,000
• Units: 40+

While California Tortilla offers meaty, cheesy burritos that satisfy even the biggest appetites and compete with less healthy options like burgers and sandwiches, the franchise also serves up chef-inspired and customizable rice bowls, salads, and plenty of vegetarian options. In short, you don’t have to be the healthiest franchise in the world, just healthier than the Taco Bell down the street to compete for lunch orders in an area crowded with hungry professionals looking for lunch. California Tortilla’s branding cashes in on Cali’s reputation for great produce and light, flavorful meals.

Saladworks

• Total investment: $210,607-$534,084
• Units: 100+

It’s pretty straightforward how a brand like Saladworks fits into the healthy eating boom we’re anticipating. Boasting more than 100 locations across the globe, this health-focused salad franchise has grown throughout the pandemic. With locations already in the U.S., Canada, Dubai and Singapore, the restaurant has announced plans for 20 more locations in 2021. Not bad considering they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015. Everyone loves a comeback story and Saladworks seems to be exactly that.

Aloha Poke

• Total investment: $138,800-$357,700
• Units: 18

Aloha Poke gives entrepreneurs the chance to cash in on the next big food craze from the Pacific: bowls of raw fish, sushi accouterments and all the rice and toppings you could dream of. Poke bowls incorporate much of what you’d find at a sushi bar into a bowl of ready-to-eat raw fish and seaweed. In other words, it’s an extremely healthy concept that uses the same ingredients associated with the premium sushi segment. Aloha Poke, which began franchising just over a year ago, offers a lighter alternative to pizza, burgers or tacos with a small retail space.